Thursday, November 18, 2010

We found out last night that the credit union accepted our offer on the building that we want to use for a church, after-school tutoring, youth ministry, school, etc! Thanks to all of you for praying! We've had $330,000 in gifts in about 30 days! Thanks to all who have given. I can't wait to show you around the new home of Sacred Road Ministries and Hope Fellowship!

We do still need approximately $50,000 more in one time gifts for the facility's renovations, etc. Also, please pray about our regular monthy opperating budget. We are going to need it to grow as we move into the building and the ministry grows. We estimate that we will need an additional $3000 in regular monthly giving.

As many of you know, we are in Alabama visiting with supporters, churches, friends and family. We make this two week trip every November. As we prepare to "come home" for a couple of weeks we look back on the the previous year/years and ask ourselves as a family, what stories do we have to tell this year? How do we describe what we see the Lord doing now? What are we excited about and what do we want to ask folks to pray about this year?

Here's what our kids had to say about all of that!

Ann Marie:

I am excited about the new building. It will really help with Childrens Ministry. We will be able to work with the kids in a more efficient way, I think, and I think that they will be able to calm down and control themselves better in the new atmosphere. I'm also excited about the Christmas Feast that is coming up and I'm looking forward to the teams next summer.

Pray that the community will see the building as their church building and that they get excited about having their own church. Also, we have lost contact with some of our kids. Pray for them, that they're safe, that they grow in the Lord, and that we'll be able to see them again (in this life, or the next).

Beth:

Lately I have been excited by watching my small group of girls growing in Christ by singing, listening to Bible stories and retelling them, and by doing work sheets. They all range from second to third grade. I have about nine of them on Tuesday, on a regular basis. I really look forward to teaching them in our own church building soon. Please pray for all of them.

Also, our house will be busy soon while we all get ready for the Christmas Feast. Pray that everything goes smoothly. And, lastly, pray for us while our SRM team grows and that we all become closer and stronger together.

Morgan:

This summer the four year old girl, Lenelle, that I have been playing with for the last four years told me that she didn't want to play with me anymore because she wanted to play with someone else. I was disappointed and a little angry, but I figured that maybe she would want to play with me later. But after a while, she still didn't want to play with me. I was even more upset and hoped and prayed that she would want to play with me again. After a few more days of not playing with her I gave up hopelessly.

As I stood gloomily on the sidelines, watching the kids play, I felt a small hand touch mine. "Tag!" Six year old Tyson grinned up at me. "Now it's your turn." he whispered. I moved to tag him, but he darted away, his face glowing. Soon, I caught up with him and tagged him. After a while, we sat down and rested. While we were sitting there he asked me if he could get on my back. I put him on my back and we wandered around for a while. I played with Tyson all week, and it didn't take long to get to the routine of tag-everyone-there-at-least-twice.

On Friday, Tyson didn't show up, and I found out that it was because he had gotten in trouble with his dad and wasn't allowed to come to Kids Club. After a little while though, Tyson walked towards the playgroud. I ran to greet him and asked him what he would like to do. He shrugged. We sat down on the grass together.

A few days before the BBQ kickoff event, some of our staff walked around Totus Park and gave out flyers. Tyson recognized Joshua Tsevatawa and asked him "Where is my friend?" Joshua didn't know exactly who Tyson was talking about but he told him that all of the team memebers had gone home. Tyson ran off again, Joshua assumed he had gone to play, but Tyson came running back with a picture of me and him, that had been taken on the last day of Kids Club for the summer. He pointed at me and said "Her! Where is my friend?"

Tyson left for Spokane (four hours away) the next day.

Please pray that Tyson will be back next summer. I am excited to see how he will grow closer to Christ as the years go by and pray that the Lord will keep him close.

Please pray for Tyson.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Marisol:

I'm excited for the way that kids ministry is going. There is a feeling of joy that comes to you when you're out there playing with the kids and watching them participate in the Bible story. It feels so good to know that they want to be in the story, they want to be involved in the ministry.

The Christmas Feast is such a great time too. I love getting back from school that day, and walking into the longhouse, and seeing so many people laughing. So many people who are excited for what is happening. Kids get their presents and start ripping away the paper, then they show their Grandma, and you can tell that they are so excited.

The building is amazing too. Just to think that now the ministry has it's very own place. It looks perfect for the ministry. I just can't wait to see the kids being dropped off and watching them make their way to their very own Sunday School class. And knowing that youth have a safe place where they can come and call home. I'm just so excited that the community is involved and loves SRM.

Please pray for my family, that they know that, even though they've gone through some hard times, God is still with them. Pray that they humble themselves before God, and that they start going to church again. Pray that my mom has peace, I know that she works so hard so that all of her kids can be happy. I thank God for having such a large and loving family.

David:

I am excited about the new building that Sacred Road has, it will really help the ministry and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for this. Also, I have started leading a small group of boys at Bible Study and two boys are really taking the lead and they always want to help me teach the other boys, that is exciting. It is also encouraging to see so many people supporting our team. There are a lot of churches who want to come out on teams in the spring and summer and it is very exciting to see so many people trying to support our team and the Yakama Indians.

See photos on Facebook on the Sacred Road Fan page------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prayer Requests

Sacred Road Ministries1. Pray for the Granberrys as they visit churches, supporters, families, and friends in Alabama. They will be there through November 30th.On Nov. 28 Chris will be preaching at Oak Mountain PCA in Birmingham at 9:00 and 10:45 am. We are thinking about having a lunch after that or a get together later that afternoon for all who want to attend and visit. We'll send out an email with the details if/when that "shapes up".

2. Please pray for all of the funding to come in for the facility (we are short $50,000 right now) and for the Lord to continue to lead and direct us. Read more about the facility on the blog.

3. As the weather turns colder we are receiving new or gently used blankets. Please send to the following address:4711 Branch Road Wapato, WA 98933Contact Heather with any questions at (509) 930-5903 or hmgerman@gmail.com.

4. Walmart Gift Card DriveWe are also collecting money for Walmart Gift Cards (or cards themselves) for the people in the community to use to buy food, clothes, and gifts for their families at Christmas. We want to empower the responsible adults in the community to shop for their own families at Christmas time. Please send gift cards or your check with “Christmas” in the memo line to:Sacred Road Ministries22116 SE 51st PlaceIssaquah, WA 98029*All donors will receive a tax-deductible receipt (unless you send an actual gift card)

We would love to receive our Christmas Feast gifts by Thanksgiving this year. We are collecting the following gifts:YouthGirls – necklacesYouthBoys – footballs or basketballsMen – $10 tool setsWomen – lotion sets

Please mail unwrapped gifts to: 4711 Branch RoadWapato, WA 98951

Yakama Community 5. Lea would like her children to know our Father God. She also would like prayers for the community of White Swan and the drug problems it faces.6. GigiWoodward went to court and lost the custody of her two youngest grandsons. She also recently lost her oldest grandson (19) and says she needs prayer to "keep her head above water."7. Diana and Xavier would like prayer for the children of White Swan and for the Hope Fellowship (Bible Study) group to multiply.8. PhyllisYallup recently lost her oldest grandson and would like prayer for her and her family as they mourn their loss.

Sacred Road Team 9. Pray also for Chris to finally have relief from his sinus infection that is not going away. He’s had it since late May and finished his third round of antibiotics. Doctors are thinking about surgery next.10. Pray for HeatherGerman, VeronicaVasquez, JoshuaTsavatewa, and the Clevengers who are raising more support. Also pray for the families (the Yarbroughs and the Dempsens) who are raising support to join us full time. Clevenger’s Blog: